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Puppy beaten, left for dead, caught on video
San Ysidro, CA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jul 3, 2008
County: San Diego
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A puppy that was savagely beaten and left for dead by a man at the U.S.-Mexico border last week is recovering after being rescued by Border Patrol agents.
The brutal attack on the female shepherd mix puppy, estimated to be about 3 months old, was captured by Border Patrol surveillance cameras and shows the man hitting, choking and suffocating the animal before fleeing back to Mexico, said Border Patrol Agent Mark Endicott.
The video shows the man first tossing the puppy into the U.S. from Mexico over the fence about a half mile east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry. He then jumps over the barrier and grabs the dog and begins to punch it in the head several times with a closed fist. He then picks up the struggling, tiny animal and slams it against the fence.
A Border Patrol agent was dispatched to check on the dog after the man left its lifeless body lying on the ground and jumped back over the fence. The agent found the dog was still alive and gave it some food and water, Endicott said.
It was then taken to the county Department of Animal Services shelter in Bonita, Endicott said.
The puppy, which has not been named, has some trauma to its back legs but is expected to recover, said John Carlson, deputy director with the county's Animal Services. He said X-rays will determine to what extent the legs are damaged. It did not appear to have suffered significant internal injuries but will undergo further tests.
Carlson said he has seen animals that have been injured by people but has never seen the abuse in progress as it was captured on the tape.
"I was astonished, I was disgusted, some of the stuff I was thinking you cannot print," Carlson said after seeing the video.
He said the physical trauma the dog suffered was terrible but "sometimes dogs can be pretty resilient."
The pup will continue to be treated at the shelter until it is fully recovered, Carlson said. It will then be placed for adoption to an appropriate home to owners who will be responsible for its medical follow-up.
There is no timetable as to when that will be, but it could be as soon as a couple of weeks, he said.
Carlson said he would like nothing better than to see the man responsible for the brutality brought to justice.
"If Border Patrol can detain this guy we'll take him into custody for felony animal abuse," he said.
Endicott said it may be possible to identify the man on the tape.
In the meantime, workers at the shelter taking care of the puppy say it seems to be in good spirits.
"It's a real sweetheart," Carlson said.
Case UpdatesWhile Spirit, a puppy savagely beaten near the San Ysidro border crossing, continues to recover at the home of a dog-rescue volunteer, the reward is growing for the arrest of the man who left her for dead.
The reward fund has hit $6,900, and additional donations have come in to help pay Spirit's medical bills, said Lt. Dan DeSousa with county animal services.
"Money for the reward has come in from Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona � all over the country," DeSousa said.
He said Spirit, a terrier mix thought to be about 10 weeks old, has a brace on her right hind leg to hold it in place after surgery to repair the shattered bone. She also suffered rib and spinal fractures.
"She is on bed rest, antibiotics and painkillers," DeSousa said.
He said a local volunteer with Coonhound Rescue and Friends is caring for Spirit until the dog recovers. Spirit left the veterinary hospital after surgery earlier in the week.
"She may need prolonged care," DeSousa said. "It depends on how the leg bone heals. If it doesn't grow, it would have to be broken and stretched, then let it heal and maybe break it again, to get it to the same length as her left leg."
He said the county would pay for such surgery even after Spirit is adopted.
The reward fund has grown with pledges of $2,500 from the Humane Society of the United States and $1,000 each from San Diego Animal Advocates and the San Diego-based Animal Rescue and Protection League. Individual donations total another $2,000, and students in the Border Patrol Explorer Program donated about $400.
The money would be paid for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a man shown on a U.S. Border Patrol videotape punching, choking and slamming the puppy against a fence July 2. By the time agents arrived at the spot about a half-mile east of the San Ysidro port of entry, the man had scaled the fence and escaped into Mexico.
Donations to help cover costs of care can be sent to the Department of Animal Services, 5480 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110. They can also be made on the county Web site at sddac.com/donations.asp. | Source: SignOn San Diego - July 19, 2008
Update posted on Jul 20, 2008 - 7:13PM |
A reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man who savagely beat a puppy at the Mexican border, now stands at $4,000.
The Department of Animal Services says an unidentified person made the $2,000 donation, which will be added to the $2,000 reward being offered by the San Diego Animal Advocates and the San Diego-based Animal Rescue and Protection League.
In the meatime, the 3 month old terrier mix, called Spirit, is recovering after being rescued by Border Patrol agents last week.
X-rays on the puppy show the animal suffered multiple fractures to her right back leg, county officials said Tuesday.
Surveillance cameras captured an unidentified man throwing the puppy over a fence into the U.S. from Mexico about a half mile east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Authorities say the man then jumped over the fence and was seen beating and suffocating the animal.
An agent went to check on the dog after the man left it lying on the ground and jumped back over the fence.
Donations for the pup's medical care can be mailed to the Department of Animal Services, 5480 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110. They can also be made on the county Web site at Source: LA Times - July 10, 2008
Update posted on Jul 11, 2008 - 12:45AM |
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